Small Closet Organization Requires Discipline

Updated on November 20, 2009

Organizing small closets is a real challenge. I think the key to success with small closet organization lies in your organizational discipline. Does this sound familiar; you dread opening the door to any of your closets because of the danger of disrupting a perfectly balanced stack of stuff. Any disturbance to the mounds of clutter inside your closets will set you back days. It's just easier not to even enter the closets anymore. So, bit by bit, your most commonly used items begin to form a pile of their own on the chair by the door. Because this of course is an easier storage system than having to risk an avalanche, or even worse, trying to find a place to put them back into the closet.

So what is the cause of this dreaded situation? Many will say that it is all because they have small closets and not enough storage space. I propose an alternate theory. Maybe there is no place to store your stuff because you just have too much stuff. And I think many would argue against this theory, but I will argue back that it is perhaps a matter of perspective. The fact of the matter is, you have small closets. Do you want to have nice storage spaces, capable of storing all your items in a neat, organized and accessible manner? Well, then you may just have to conceed that in order to have a tidy house and closets that work reasonably well, you need to adjust the amount of stuff you have to the closet space you have available.

Personally, I blame the North American consumerist society, and consumerist peer pressure for many of the over-cluttered disasters that we find ourselves in. It is so easy to go to IKEA a few times a year and completely re-decorate your entire living room, nick-nacks and wall art included, for very little cash. But, what do we do with all of the old stuff? It goes into a closet, and even though we used to like all the old stuff, the fact of the matter is that it has been replaced with newer more favorite stuff. And the same thing happens on just about every shopping trip you go on. New stuff is aquired. Old stuff gets thrown in a closet.

So what becomes of your closets? Now they are crammed full of old stuff that has no useful purpose in your house, because you already have something that has taken it's place. So the old stuff really should be in long-term storage, so you can give it to your kids someday. Because the chances of you using it are slim to none. Or better yet, if you get new stuff to replace something in your house, just make the decision to get rid of the old stuff. I know this is hard for many people, but the cycle is very seldom reverse - ie you don't reuse the old stuff ever again. If anything, you go buy new stuff, and now there are 2 sets of old things and old decor and old clothes that are stored away, never to be used again.

Ok, now that I've made it clear where I think the problem is, what can you do about it? This is where I think that closet organization, especially small closet organization requires discipline. You need to get rid of things that don't actually have a functional use. Sure, lots of things in your closets are useful. But are they going to be used by you? If not, then you really should give them to someone who will use them. It will certainly do you a ton of good, freeing up space so you can create a proper storage system where your closets are picture perfect and storage wise they are functional. And giving your old stuff a new home with someone who can't afford new is just a good thing to do. Earl would say it's good karma.

So, get started today. Go through all your closets and take a hard look at what you actually use, and get rid of all the stuff that you don't use. As I already said, 'useful' isn't the pre-requisite - the requirement is that you will actually use it. Once you have done this, you will find that you have a lot more room than you imagined, and it might actually end up being plenty. Now, keep up with the discipline of only storing things that you actually need. Once you get into this closet organizing system you will find that it is much easier to keep the clutter down, and you will be well on your way to having a neat and tidy dream house!

Closet Door Organizer

double small closet space by using closet door organizers.

Make The Most Of Small Spaces

If you have small closets, you can add a lot of storage space by using the back of the door. There are a lot of closet door organizers available for all kinds of things, from shoes, to ties, to pants, to sports equipment, as seen here.

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